OHINGS MILLS, Maryland – Rory McIlroy was approached to being Play Captain, the captain of the European team in the future Ryder Cup, but the reigning Chanters champion said he turned down the chance because he believes the captain cannot do both.
McIlroy had not designated any future Ryder Cups, but it was a 2027 match between the US and Europe in Adare Manor, county Limerick, Ireland.
“The idea that I was going to be captain came right away and I quickly shot it down,” McIlroy said at a press conference Wednesday at the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club.
Ranked number two in the world, McIlroy is already qualified as a European team to compete with the US team at Ryder Black in Farmingdale, New York at next month’s Ryder Cup.
Captain Keegan Bradley of the US team is 10th in the US team’s points ranking. If Bradley finishes in the top six after this week’s tournament, he will automatically qualify.
Without Bradley he could have used one of his six captain choices on himself. Bradley previously said he only chooses himself if he “feels that he is trying to help his team.”
“I think he’s one of the best 12 players right now,” McIlroy said. “That’s why everyone is very interested and it’s a very convincing case, and I’m just as interested as everyone else.
The captain has not played the captain since Arnold Palmer led the Europeans to a 23-9 defeat at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta in 1963.
Bradley said he still doesn’t know what he’s still going to do. He hopes to play well in the BMW Championship and Tour Championship to crack the top six.
“(McIlroy) might be right,” Bradley said. “We don’t know. No one knows. I certainly have a lot of concerns.
“Frankly, I have leaned towards them more than the other captains anyway – even if I’m not playing. When that happens, we’re ready for this.
McIlroy said he believes that becoming a play captain is now difficult given the responsibility of all the course off courses the captain has during Ryder Cup Week.
“Think about the extra media that the captain has to do and the extra meetings that the captain has to do with the vice captain, the American PGA,” McIlroy said. “In Keegan, we prepare the opening ceremony speech, and there are a lot of things people don’t see what the Captain is doing (in the middle) during the week of the Ryder Cup.
“If I had said that 20 years ago, I would say, ‘Yeah, that was probably possible,’ but now I think it’s going to be a very difficult position to see how big the spectacle and everything is in the line of the Ryder Cup. ”
The captain will probably play one session in each of the first two days due to other responsibilities, and McIlroy said it could affect the team’s ability to use the best lineup.
“If he’s playing well, is there no player who has the flexibility to go twice?” McIlroy said. “There’s a lot to get into.
Ricky Fowler and Patrick Cantray, veterans of the Ryder Cup, said Tuesday that Bradley is one of the 12 best American golfers and should be on the team.
Bradley won the Travelers Championship, a signature event, on June 22nd.
“Yeah, I’ll choose him too,” said Fowler, who competed in five Ryder Cups. “I think it’s difficult to argue that point or find a lot of Americans.”
“I think we have to ask the captain that question,” said World No. 1 golfer Scotty Scheffler, who has already qualified for the team.
“If you look at our team, I think we have a really good group. I think Keegan can help with that. If Keegan wants to be part of the team, if he wants to play, he’s the guy you want to have on the team.”
